One of the first phrases I encountered at Tamarack was ‘act like an organization, think like a movement’ which is attributed to Al Etmanski and Vicki Cammack. Like so many other things, I have had to consider this phrase and make it real to my experience of community change.
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There are times when I am flipping through Twitter and I find a nugget of information that leads me to pause, reflect and then consider what is being shared and how this impacts my thinking about community change. With one tweet, Systems Innovation (@Sys_innovation) both asked and answered the question “what does it take to liberate the capacity of an organization?”
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How can we work together more peacefully, productively, and equitably in 2019? When working with others is challenging, what can we do to make it easier?
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We are all familiar with the old adage that “it takes a community to raise a child”, but translating that wisdom into high-impact action is anything but simple. In particular, developing innovative and effective strategies to address the needs of the growing percentage of youth who are neither in school nor at work is an area of specific focus for many communities throughout North America. That is why we are fortunate to have to have examples such as Canada’s Pathways to Education and a new research brief, Building Partnerships: In Support of Where, When, and How Learning Happens published by the Aspen Institute, to offer a richer understanding of the interconnected factors that enable young people to thrive and demonstrate that by working together collaboratively across sectors, communities can achieve high-impact results that ensure promising futures for all youth.
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Today, everyone seems to be looking for the next big thing, the quick fix, or the new solution. But sometimes, the answer isn’t found in a formula but in a relationship, an exchange of words, and a way of being.
Leadership is a hot topic. I have watched countless TedTalks, videos, read articles, written school papers and taken courses on the subject of leadership. Each holds its own view of what leadership means, what it can do for you, your business and the future. But taking the time to understand and develop your leadership style can transform the way you work, interact with others and ultimately your ability to impact and influence the world around you. I have learned from my own experience in working on tough community issues that leadership styles which encourage collaboration and relationship building are essential and that in most collaborative efforts, the nature of leadership required will change over time.
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If it feels like you or your organization are always having to add something new to your plate, this is for you. It feels like a default tendency of the world we live in to ask more of ourselves, our teams, and our organizations without providing the time, resources, and energy that are needed for those extras. I find that this is particularly true when the word innovation is invoked. We’re simultaneously asked to innovate but also to maintain all the programs, services, and projects that help keep the status quo afloat. A common question I hear at all levels is, "How do we innovate when we're barely staying on top of our regular work as it is?"
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